Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is facing backlash after his campaign released an attack ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Amy Acton calling her a liar, reigniting painful details of Acton’s childhood and allegations of sexual abuse by her stepfather.
The ad, which circulated on social media Monday night, features Donna Arthur criticizing her daughter’s character and past. Acton’s brother, Philip Stearns, condemned the spot as a “despicable low,” accusing Ramaswamy of turning the sexual abuse Acton experienced as a child into a political weapon.
“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Stearns said.
The controversy adds a deeply personal dimension to an increasingly contentious race for governor, where Acton, a former Ohio public health director, has been leading in polls in recent weeks.
Ramaswamy defends the attack ad
The ad’s origin was initially unclear because it lacked the required disclosure identifying who paid for and authorized it. Ramaswamy confirmed Tuesday that it was produced by his campaign, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
He defended the decision to feature Acton’s mother, arguing that people who know his opponent well have urged voters to reject her candidacy.
“Every person who appears to know her the best … have told voters not to vote for her but to vote for me instead,” Ramaswamy told reporters.
Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy, said in a statement earlier Tuesday that the campaign did not know what had happened between Acton and her mother but argued that voters should scrutinize Acton’s credibility.
“We don’t know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor,” Luck said.
Acton’s campaign and her brother have rejected the ad’s approach, portraying it as an attempt to exploit a painful family history for electoral advantage. The Ohio Republican Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Acton’s brother details family history
In the ad, Donna Arthur says her daughter was difficult during childhood and accuses her of dishonesty.
“It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy was a serious problem. She is a liar; she lies about her past,” Arthur says.
Stearns offered a sharply different account of the family’s history. He said that after their stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged in connection with the sexual abuse of Acton, the siblings were removed from the Arthurs’ custody and went to live with their father.
“Our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,” Stearns said.
He also accused Ramaswamy of showing a willingness to harm others for political advantage, calling the ad “a desperate, disgusting attack.”
Acton has previously spoken publicly about being sexually abused by her now-deceased stepfather. Court records provided by her campaign show that Cledith Arthur was charged in 1978 with raping Acton when she was between 10 and 12 years old. He pleaded not guilty.
According to a 2019 report by The Youngstown Vindicator, Acton and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody after the case began. Her mother and stepfather were released on bond and left Ohio without facing trial, the report said. Court records indicate that warrants were issued for Cledith Arthur’s arrest at least twice in subsequent years.
Donna and Cledith Arthur later lived in Pennsylvania, where Cledith Arthur died in 2004.
Acton has described a childhood marked by instability
Acton has also discussed experiencing poverty and homelessness as a child. Records provided by her campaign indicate that the family lived in a tent for about a year.
In a 2019 interview with The Youngstown Vindicator, Acton described a final encounter with her mother at the courthouse after her stepfather was charged.
“In the courthouse after they were charged, I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away,” Acton said. “That was the last time I ever saw her.”
Acton’s campaign says she has not seen her mother since that encounter.
The allegations and family history have resurfaced as the governor’s race intensifies, raising questions about the use of relatives and childhood trauma in political advertising.
Personal attacks intensify in Ohio governor’s race
Acton served as Ohio’s public health director under Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, becoming a prominent figure during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is now seeking to succeed DeWine as governor.
Ramaswamy’s campaign and its allies have launched other personal attacks against Acton as the contest has tightened. Recent polling cited by The New York Times showed Acton leading in the race over the previous month.
Other aspects of Acton’s personal life have also returned to public discussion during the campaign, including a 2019 incident in which police were called to her home over what was described as a domestic dispute.
The latest ad places Acton’s childhood and estrangement from her mother at the center of the campaign, drawing a forceful response from her brother and renewed attention to allegations of abuse that never went to trial.
With the election approaching, the controversy underscores how personal attacks are becoming part of the fight for Ohio’s governorship, even as questions remain about the boundaries candidates and their campaigns should observe when discussing an opponent’s family history.
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